Abstract
Parent–child play behavior of 33 preschool children (18 boys, 29 European-American, middle- and upper-middle-class families) was videotaped in separate pretend and physical play sessions. Children's play behavior with a same-sex peer also was observed. Analyses focus on contextual differences in parent–child play behavior, as well as associations between parent–child play and child–peer play. During the pretense play session parent–daughter dyads, particularly mother–daughter dyads, engaged in more pretense play than did parent–son dyads. During the physical play session father–son dyads engaged in more physical play than did father–daughter dyads. These data suggest that context may play an important role in gender differentiated patterns of parent–child play behavior. As for children's peer play behavior, consistent with previous evidence, girls were more likely than boys to engage peers in pretend play and boys were more likely than girls to play physically with peers. Children whose parents engaged in more pretense play engaged in more pretense play with a peer, whereas children's whose parents engaged in more physical play engaged in more physical play with a peer. These findings suggest that parents may contribute to children's gender-typed play behaviors with peers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Beall, A. E. (1993). A social constructionist view of gender. In A. E. Beall & R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), The psychology of gender (pp. 127–147). New York: Guilford Press.
Block, J. H. (1983). Differential premises arising from differential socialization of the sexes. Child Development, 54, 1335–1354.
Bussey, K., & Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of gender development and differentiation. Psychological Review, 106, 676–713.
Caldera, Y. M., Huston, A. C., & O'Brien, M. (1989). Social interaction and play patterns of parents and toddlers with feminine, masculine, and neutral toys. Child Development, 60, 70–76.
Cherry, L.,& Lewis, M. (1976). Mothers and two-year-olds:Astudy of sex-differentiated aspects of verbal interaction. Developmental Psychology, 12, 278–282.
Crockenberg, S., & Litman, C. (1990). Autonomy as competence in 2-year-olds: Maternal Correlates of child defiance, compliance, and self-assertion. Developmental Psychology,26, 961–971.
Deaux, K., & Major, B. (1987). Putting gender into context: An interactive model of genderrelated behavior. Psychological Review, 94, 369–389.
DiPietro, J.A. (1981). Roughand tumble play:Afunction of gender. Developmental Psychology, 17, 50–58.
Dunn, J., & Brown, J. (1994). Affect expression in the family, children's understanding of emotions, and their interactions with others. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 40, 120–137.
Dunn, J., Bretherton, I.,& Munn, P. (1987). Conversations about feeling states between mothers and their young children. Developmental Psychology, 23, 132–139.
Entwisle, D. R., & Astone, N. M. (1994). Some practical guidelines for measuring youth's race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Child Development, 65, 1521–1540.
Fagot, B. I. (1997). Parenting boys and girls. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting: Vol. 1. Children and parenting. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Fagot, B. I. (1985). Beyond the reinforcement principle: Another step toward understanding sex roles. Developmental Psychology, 21, 1097–1104.
Frankel, M. T., & Rollins, H. A., Jr. (1983). Does mother know best? Mothers and fathers interaction with preschool sons and daughters. Developmental Psychology, 19, 694–702.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Gralinski, J. H., & Kopp, C. B. (1993). Everyday rules for behavior: Mothers' requests to young children. Developmental Psychology, 3, 573–584.
Haight, W., & Miller, P. J. (1992). The development of everyday pretense play: A longitudinal study of mothers' participation. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 38, 331–349.
Haight, W. L., Parke, R. D., & Black, J. E. (1997). Mothers' and fathers' beliefs about and spontaneous participation in their toddlers' pretense play. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 43, 271–290.
Hines, M., & Kaufman, F. R. (1994). Androgen and the development of human sex-typical behavior: Rough-and-tumble play and sex of preferred playmates in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Child Development, 65, 1042–1053.
Howes, C., Unger, O. A.,& Matheson, C. (1991). Social pretense play in toddlers: Parallels with social play and with solitary pretense. Child Development, 60, 77–84.
Huston, A. C. (1983). Sex-typing. In P.H. Mussen (Series Ed.)&E.M. Hetherington (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of child development: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality, and social development (pp. 387–467). New York: Wiley.
Hutt, C. (1972). Males and female. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin.
Jacklin, C. N., DiePietro, J. A., & Maccoby, E. E. (1984). Sex-typing behavior and sex-typing pressure in child/parent interaction. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 13, 413–425.
LaFreniere, P., Strayer, F. F., & Gautheir, R. (1984). The emergence of same-sex affiliative preferences among preschool peers: A developmental/ethological perspective. Child Development, 55, 1958–1965.
Langlois, J. H., & Downs, A. C. (1980). Mothers, fathers, and peers as socialization agents in sex-typed play behaviors in young children. Child Development, 51, 1217–1247.
Leaper, C. (1991). Influence and involvement in children's discourse: Age, gender, and partner effects. Child Development, 62, 797–811.
Leaper, C., & Gleason, J. B. (1996). The relationship of play activity and gender to parent and child sex-typed communication. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 19, 689–703.
Leaper, C., Anderson, K. J., & Sanders, P. (1998). Moderators of gender effects on parents' talk to their children: A meta-analysis. Developmental Psychology, 34, 3–27.
Leaper, C., Leve, L., Strasser, T., & Schwartz, R. (1995). Mother-child communication sequences: Play activity, child gender, and marital status effects. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 41, 307–327.
Lindsey, E.W.,& Mize, J. (in press). Parent-child physical and pretense play: Links to children's social competence. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly.
Lindsey, E. W., Mize, J., & Pettit, G. S. (1997a). Mutuality in parent-child play: Consequences for children's peer competence. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 14, 523–538.
Lindsey, E.W., Mize, J.,& Pettit, G. S. (1997b). Differential play patterns of mothers and fathers of sons and daughters: Consequences for children's gender role development. Sex Roles, 37, 643–661.
Lytton, H., & Romney, D. M. (1991). Parents' differential socialization of boys and girls: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 109, 267–296.
Maccoby, E. E. (1990). Gender and relationships. American Psychologist, 45, 513–520.
Maccoby, E. E.,& Jacklin, C.N. (1974). The psychology of sex differences. Stanford,CA: Stanford University Press.
MacDonald, K., & Parke, R. (1984). Bridging the gap: Parent–child play interaction and peer interactive competence. Child Development, 55, 1265–1277.
MacDonald, K., & Parke, R. (1986). Parent–child physical play: The effects of sex and age of children and parents. Sex Roles, 15, 367–378.
O'Brien, M., & Nagle, K. J. (1987). Parents' speech to toddlers: The effect of play context. Journal of Child Language, 14, 269–279.
Power, T. G., McGrath, M. P., Hughes, S. O., & Manire, S. H. (1994). Compliance and selfassertion: Young children's responses to mothers versus fathers. Developmental Psychology, 30, 980–989.
Rheingold, H. L., & Cook, K. V. (1975). The contents of boys' and girls' rooms as an index of parent behavior. Child Development, 46, 459–463.
Russell, A., & Russell, G. (1987). Mother–child and father–child relationships in middle childhood. Child Development, 58, 1573–1585.
Stevenson, M. B., Leavitt, L. A., Thompson, R. H., & Roach, M. A. (1988). A social relations model analysis of parent and child play. Developmental Psychology, 24(1), 101–108.
Serbin, L. A., Sprafkin, C., Elman, M., & Doyle, A. (1994). The early development of sex differentiated patterns of social influence. Canadian Journal of Social Science, 14, 350–363.
Tamis-LeMonda, C. S.,& Bornstein, M. H. (1991). Individual variation, correspondence, stability and change in mother and toddler play. Infant Behavior and Development, 14, 143–162.
Wilson, E. O. (1975). Sociobiology: The new synthesis. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lindsey, E.W., Mize, J. Contextual Differences in Parent–Child Play: Implications for Children's Gender Role Development. Sex Roles 44, 155–176 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010950919451
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010950919451